System and method for promoting intellectual property

ABSTRACT

A method and system for the online promotion of intellectual property includes providing an Internet host station with at least one database that is connectable via the Internet to consumer stations and industry stations. The database includes a plurality of intellectual property items and a description of each intellectual property item. At least one of the intellectual property items is selected by a consumer station and the description associated with the selected intellectual property item is viewed at the consumer station. Portions of the description may be confidential and therefore not normally viewed at the consumer station. Feedback data is sent from the consumer station to the host station. The feedback data includes consumer opinion information of the selected intellectual property item based at least in part on the description of the selected intellectual property item. The feedback data is then accessed from an industry station to thereby determine the interest in the selected intellectual property item based on the consumer opinion.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/518,699filed Mar. 3, 2000, now pending. The patent application identified aboveis incorporated here by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to a system and method for promotingintellectual property, and more particularly to an online system andmethod for advertising intellectual property available for license orsale and obtaining feedback.

2. Description of the Related Art

Individual inventors lack know-how when attempting to promote, license,or market their inventions, whether or not patent protection has beengranted. In many instances, the inventor may not be aware of particularcompanies that may be interested in new products or technology in theinventor's field of endeavor. Likewise, many companies may not be awareof inventions that are currently available for license or sale. Althoughmany companies have invention submission procedures for consideringideas developed elsewhere, it is often difficult for the inventor tolocate those companies. Even when appropriate companies are found, theinventor may not be properly skilled or have the necessary tools topresent the invention in an attractive manner to the potential licenseeor buyer. In addition, most inventors lack the expertise or cannotafford the costs associated with conducting marketing research todemonstrate that the invention is a desirable product.

In an effort to match industry with patented technology and otherintellectual property, websites advertising available patents and otherintellectual property for license or sale have recently appeared. Onesuch website is known as PatentAuction.com™, wherein an intellectualproperty owner can display his or her invention, trademark, orcopyrighted material for a fee and commission upon license or sale. Thiswebsite currently offers a menu with predefined search items that can beselected by a browser, as well as a key word search for the desiredproperty. Before making a bid on a desired item, a prospective buyermust first register and receive a bidder ID and password.

Another website for marketing inventions is known as IPMarketPlace™ atwww.ipmarketplace.com. This website also displays intellectual propertyfor sale or license. A menu is offered for finding availableintellectual property and includes the following predefined categories:internet applications, entertainment, software/electronics,electrical/mechanical, and chemical/mechanical.

Although these websites may attempt to present available intellectualproperty to buyers or licensees, they do not provide information in auser-friendly manner. The intellectual property is not “packaged” andpresented in its best light. There is no methodology for locatinginventions by well known industry codes. Very little information isgiven about the market applications of the product and there is noinformation regarding market research or consumer feedback.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a systemand method for promoting intellectual property that overcomes at leastsome of the disadvantages of the prior art.

It is a further object of the invention to provide consumer feedback onintellectual property available for consideration by industry orindustry representatives to package and present intellectual property inits best light like a resume.

It is an even further object of the invention to provide general detailsof available intellectual property to the consumer, and confidentialdetails under appropriate agreements to the industry or industryrepresentatives interested in the intellectual property.

According to one embodiment of the invention, a method of promotingintellectual property comprises providing a host station having at leastone database. The at least one database includes a plurality ofintellectual property items and a description of each intellectualproperty item. At least one of the intellectual property items isselected by a consumer station. The description associated with theselected intellectual property item is accessed from the consumerstation. Feedback is sent from the consumer station to the host station.The feedback data includes consumer opinion information of the selectedintellectual property item based at least in part on the description ofthe selected intellectual property item. The feedback data is thenaccessed from an industry station to thereby determine interest in theselected intellectual property item based on the consumer opinion.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, a method forpromoting intellectual property online comprises providing a hoststation having an Internet site and at least one database accessible atthe internet site, with the at least one database including a pluralityof intellectual property items and a description of each intellectualproperty item. The description has at least one general description itemand at least one confidential description item. One of the intellectualproperty items is selected by a consumer station connected to the hoststation and the at least one general description item associated withthe selected intellectual property item is viewed at the consumerstation. The same intellectual property item is selected by an industrystation connected to the host station and the at least one confidentialdescription item is viewed at the industry station. The at least oneconfidential description item is normally unavailable for view by theconsumer station.

According to an even further embodiment of the invention, aprocessor-based system for promotion of intellectual property comprisesa host station having at least one database with a plurality ofintellectual property items and a description of each intellectualproperty item. Means are provided for selecting one of the intellectualproperty items and accessing the description associated with theselected intellectual property item by a consumer station, and forsending feedback data from the consumer station to the host station. Thefeedback data includes consumer opinion information of the selectedintellectual property item based at least in part on the description ofthe selected intellectual property item. Means are also provided foraccessing the feedback data from an industry station to therebydetermine interest in the selected intellectual property item based onthe consumer opinion.

According to an even further embodiment of the invention, aprocessor-based system for promoting intellectual property comprises ahost station having an Internet site and at least one databaseaccessible at the internet site. The at least one database includes aplurality of intellectual property items and a description of eachintellectual property item. The description has at least one generaldescription item and at least one confidential description item. Meansare provided for selecting one of the intellectual property items by aconsumer station connected to the host station. Further means areprovided for viewing the at least one general description itemassociated with the selected intellectual property item from theconsumer station. Means are also provided for selecting the oneintellectual property item by an industry station connected to the hoststation and for viewing the at least one confidential description itemfrom the industry station. With this arrangement, the at least oneconfidential description item is normally unavailable for view by theconsumer station.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent uponreading the following detailed description and appended claims, and uponreference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The preferred embodiments of the present invention will hereinafter bedescribed in conjunction with the appended drawings, wherein likedesignations denote like elements, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of an interactive system forpromoting intellectual property according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of the interactive system with thehost station shown in greater detail;

FIG. 3 shows portions of an exemplary database for customers andintellectual property items according to the invention;

FIG. 4 depicts a representative search menu that may be accessed forconducting searches of intellectual property items;

FIGS. 5 and 5A show a block diagram illustrating a method forregistering and searching at the host station;

FIG. 6 shows a representative welcome menu for logging onto orregistering with the host station;

FIG. 7 shows a representative menu of options that may be selectedduring the registration process;

FIG. 8 shows a representative display that may be used for enteringregistration information; and

FIG. 9 illustrates a presentation package options menu that can beaccessed by a customer station.

It is noted that the accompanying drawings are intended to depict onlytypical embodiments of the invention and should not be considered aslimiting the scope thereof. The invention will now be described ingreater detail with reference to the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings, and to FIG. 1 in particular, a system 10for promoting intellectual property is illustrated. The system 10includes a host station 12 adapted for connection between a plurality ofremote stations, such as customer stations 14, industry stations 16, andconsumer stations 18.

In one exemplary embodiment, the host station 12 is an Internet domainsite and each customer station 14, industry station 16, and consumerstation 18 includes a personal computer that is connectable to theInternet in a well-known manner. Alternatively, the host station 12 maybe in the form of one or more portable memory devices, such as CD-ROM's,DVD's, floppy disks, flash cards, or other memory devices currently inuse or that may be developed in the future that connects to the userstation through a virtual connector cable or other well knownconnection. Likewise, the customer, industry and consumer stations mayalternatively be in the form of an interactive television device, adisplay telephone, or any other interactive display currently in use orthat may be developed in the future. Whether the host station is anInternet site, a portable memory device, or other suitable systems orcomponents, information relating to the intellectual property can beselectively uploaded and/or downloaded, and displayed on the customer,industry and consumer stations, as will be described in greater detailbelow.

As used herein, the term “intellectual property” includes, but is notlimited to ideas, concepts, inventions that may be patented or patentpending, machines, products, methods, systems, trade secrets,formulations, recipes, printed matter, copyrights or copyrightablematerial including games, music, artwork, photography, manuscripts,plays, software, movies, videos, and slogans, designs, trade dress,trademarks, service marks, domain names, know-how, and any otherinventive entity that is owned, possessed, or at least partially ownedor possessed by one or more customers.

The customer station preferably includes, but is not limited to at leastone customer comprising any individual, group, partnership, company,corporation, manufacturer, university, research and developmentfacility, government agency, and/or any other entity that holdsintellectual property and desires to enter into a license agreement,assignment, sale, joint venture, obtain loans, obtain venture capitol,obtain feedback, start a business, offer shares to public or privateinvestors, and/or any other arrangement depending at least partially onthe intellectual property.

The industry station preferably includes, but is not limited to, atleast one industry or industry representative comprising any individual,business, group, partnership, organization, consultant, company,corporation, manufacturer, university, research and developmentfacility, government agency, financial institution, loan officer,venture capitalist, investor, and any other entity that desires to enterinto a license agreement, assignment, sale, joint venture, loan, and/orany other arrangement that involves the intellectual property, for thepurpose of financing, making, selling, and/or distributing theintellectual property.

The consumer station preferably includes at least one consumer thatrepresents any individual or entity that may potentially purchase aproduct or products based on the intellectual property.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the host station 12 includes a public accessmodule 20 that is connectable to the industry stations 16, consumerstations 18, and customer stations 14, and a private access module 22that is connectable to the customer stations 14 and industry stations16. The public access module 20 and private access module 22 include asearch engine 24 for searching and locating intellectual property.Preferably, a single search engine 24 is provided for both modules 20and 22. Alternatively, a different search engine or a search engine withexpanded search capabilities may be provided for the private accessmodule 22. The public access module 20 is in turn connected to a publicview module 26 and the private access module 22 is in turn connected toa private view module 28.

With additional reference to FIG. 3, the public view module 26 andprivate view module 28 may access one or more a databases 30 ofinformation relating to a selected intellectual property item. Thedatabase 30 is preferably stored at the host station 12 in a securemanner to prevent file corruption. Although the database 30 may takeseveral forms, an exemplary embodiment of the database 30 includes atable 32 with rows 34A, 34B, 34C, and so on, to 34 n, where n denotesthe last row of the table, and columns 36A to 36 n, where n denotes thelast column of the table. Each row 34A, 34B, 34C . . . 34 n represents adifferent customer or a different intellectual property item for thesame customer, while each column 36A, 36B, 36C . . . 36 n representsdifferent items of information about each customer and the intellectualproperty. By way of example, column 36A includes an information itemlabeled “Control No.” that identifies a customer by a personalidentification number (PIN) that may be in the form of numbers,characters, or combinations thereof. The PIN may be assigned to acustomer when first registering at the host site, and may be referencedby the customer when changes need to be made to other information items,as will be described in greater detail below.

Column 36B includes an information item labeled “IP Type” that denotesthe type of intellectual property item available, such as patent,trademark, trade secret, and so on, as discussed above.

Column 36C includes an information item labeled “Title” that isreflective of the intellectual property item subject matter.

With additional reference to FIG. 4, a search menu 35 includesinformation items associated with searchable terms that may be part ofthe database 30. By way of example, column 36D in FIG. 3 includes aninformation item labeled “SIC Code” that represents a standard industrycategory or classification for the intellectual property item. In placeof or in addition to the SIC Code 36D, other columns may include furtherclassification data such as the industry standard NAICS Code 36D1,intellectual property type 36D2, U.S. Patent Classification 36D3,International patent Classification 36D4, keywords 36D5, and/or anyother identifying label that sorts intellectual property items byindustry category. In this manner, one or more intellectual propertyitems may be searched and located by selecting one or more industrycategories to search, or by selecting all industry categories, asrepresented by 36D6.

Referring again to FIG. 3, columns 36E and 36F include customerinformation such as name, address, telephone number (not shown), and soon.

Column 36G includes a general information regarding the invention thatdoes not breach any confidentiality, including but not limited toproblems solved, advantages over other similar inventions, legal orpatent status, e.g. patented, patent pending, etc., benefits, pressreleases, and so on. The general information is intended to spark thecuriosity of a person at the industry and consumer stations.

Column 36H includes a file name for any images that may be present fordisplay at the host station. The images may include drawings, virtualthree dimensional images that can be rotated about three mutuallyperpendicular axes, videos, photographs, and so on.

Column 36I reveals detailed information of the intellectual propertyitem, such as construction details, process details, materials used,dimensions, parts lists, manufacturing costs, and so on.

Column 36J denotes the legal status of the intellectual property item,and may identify issued patents by number and country, patentapplications applied for, status of patent applications (e.g. firstoffice action, final office action and so on), patent claims or summaryof patent claims, strength of patent claims opinion, summary of patentapplications, registered trademarks and copyrights, pending court cases,and so on.

Column 36K indicates the current production status of the intellectualproperty item. The production status may include but is not limited tocategories such as conceptual, reduced to practice, detailed drawings,mock prototype, working prototype, starting production, in fullproduction and so on.

Finally, column 36 n denotes all other columns representing items ofinformation that may be useful in showing, describing, analyzing,studying, revising, making, selling, offering to sell, importing,exporting, and/or using the intellectual property item.

Although not shown, an audio file containing a pre-recorded voice and/ormusic, sound effects, and so on, for describing the intellectualproperty item may be provided. In addition or alternatively, a filecontaining a slide show of the intellectual property item may beprovided.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a security accesslevel is assigned to each information item for selectively displayinginformation on the public view module 26 that is not under aconfidentiality agreement. For example, and with reference again to FIG.2, it may be desirable for a consumer to view only the generalinformation 36G of a product in order to render an informed opinion asto the desirability of the product and an acceptable price or pricerange. Thus, the title 36B and general information 36G may be assigned alow security level. Other information items such as patent number,drawings, detailed information, legal status, production status, and soon, may be irrelevant, overly technical or confidential, and thereforemay be assigned a medium or high security level and therefore will notbe displayed for view by the consumer unless previously released by thecustomer, as denoted by the title “Released Info” and represented bynumeral 36 in FIG. 2. By way of example, it may be desirous to releasemore information concerning the product, whether a patent has issued ornot, such as patent details 38, drawings, photographs, and the like, inorder to increase the consumer's and/or industry's understanding andappreciation of the product. In this instance, the inventor wouldauthorize the release of such information, preferably during onlineregistration or online information changes, as will be described ingreater detail below with reference to FIGS. 5 and 5A.

The public view module 26 preferably includes a survey module 40, theresults of which are preferably viewed only on the private view module28. The survey module 40 may be included in a pop-up or floating window,or may be hyperlinked to a separate Internet site or Web page. In anexemplary embodiment, the survey module includes questions that areunalterable by the viewer and a form field adjacent each question thatreceives input response from the consumer station. The questions may askfor information relating to the product, such as overall rating, likes,dislikes, price or price range, likelihood of purchasing the product,suggestions for improvement, and so on. The overall rating may be set upas a points system, e.g. the rating may range from one to 10, with 10being the highest or most favorable score. Alternatively, a “thumbs-up”and “thumbs-down” rating may be implemented. For example, three thumbsup may give a most favorable rating, while three thumbs down may give amost unfavorable rating. Preferably, the survey results are tabulatedfor each intellectual property item (if a plurality of consumers haveparticipated in the survey) and displayed, along with any consumercomments, at the private view module 28 for indicating the likelihood ofproduct success. Personal details of each consumer such as age,geographic location, income level, education level, marital status,etc., is preferably obtained during a preregistration process and mayalso be tabulated and displayed for each intellectual property entity.The consumer need only enter the personal details once before fillingout one or more surveys. In this manner, each survey can be completed ina quick and efficient manner, and consistent personal information can belinked directly to each completed survey. This particular feature isespecially advantageous since the time and expense of conducting aseparate marketing study by an interested industry or by the customer issubstantially reduced. The interested industry may readily ascertainfrom the tabulated results whether the product would meet the industry'sgoals. Likewise, the customer may benefit from the survey results bydetermining whether more energy should be devoted to product developmentand/or intellectual property protection, as well as desirable changes tothe product based on consumer comments that may make the product moremarketable.

Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 5A, a method 50 for electronicallypromoting intellectual property is illustrated, which may be implementedin hardware, software, or a suitable combination of hardware andsoftware, and may be more than one software system operating on ageneral purpose user computing platform. As used herein, a softwaresystem may be implemented as one or more separate lines of code of asoftware program, one or more subroutines, one or more agents, one ormore objects, one or more lines of code operating on different computerplatforms, or other suitable software functionality. For example, asoftware system may include functionality that is provided by theoperating system of the computing platform, plus otherapplication-specific functionality.

The method 50 according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventionbegins by accessing the host station 12 by one of the remote stations,e.g. the customer station 14, industry station 16, or consumer station18, as represented at block 52. Preferably, the host station is accessedthrough an Internet connection and an Internet Service Provider (ISP).Alternatively, where the host station 12 is in the form of one or moreportable memory devices, one or more files of the host station may beaccessed.

At decision block 54, and with additional reference to FIG. 6, it isdetermined whether the remote station or user at the remote station isregistered. This can be accomplished by providing a menu screen 58asking the user to enter a personal identification number (PIN) at formfield 60 and the registered name or an assigned password at form field62 as represented by block 56 (FIG. 5), and by providing a button 64 orhyperlink for new registrations.

With further reference to FIG. 7, if the user is not registered, it isdetermined at decision blocks 66 and 68 (FIG. 5) what type ofregistration routine to perform. This can be accomplished by providing amenu screen 70 with user selectable buttons or hyperlinks 72, 74, and76. When the button 72 is selected by the user, it is determined thatthe user will be registered as a consumer. When the button 74 isselected, it is determined that the user will be registered as anindustry or industry representative. Likewise, when the button 76 isselected, it is determined that the user will be registered as acustomer.

With additional reference FIG. 8, selection of the consumer button 72(FIG. 7) accesses a menu 80 that prompts the user to enter personalinformation, as represented by block 82 (FIG. 5). In an exemplaryembodiment of the invention, the consumer is prompted to enterinformation into a series of data fields, such as a name data field 84,one or more address data fields 86, a telephone data field 88, a birthdate data field 90, an occupation data field 92, an income data field94, a household size data field 96, and an education level data field98. Although several data fields are provided for entering personalinformation, it is to be understood that the invention is not limitedthereto. Other data fields may be provided, such as gender, race, buyinghabits, email address, and so on, depending on the type of informationneeded for marketing analysis or other purposes. Once all the requiredpersonal information is entered in the data fields by the consumer, apersonal identification number (PIN) is assigned, as shown at block 100(FIG. 5). The PIN may be in the form of numbers, letters, orcombinations thereof, and is a unique identifier of the registeredconsumer. Preferably, a portion of the PIN identifies the user as aregistered consumer or consumer station, so that only general andreleased information may be viewed, as previously discussed.

Selection of the industry button 74 (FIG. 7) accesses a menu (not shown)that prompts the user to enter industry information, as represented byblock 102 (FIG. 5). The industry information menu may be similar to themenu 80 and include fields for entering industry-specific informationsuch as company name, address, contact person or user, telephone number,industry type, experience in licensing inventions (e.g. how recently,how many, results), job title, manufacturing capability, budget, type ofintellectual property interested in, type of agreement seeking (e.g.license, assignment, manufacturing, marketing, partnership, loanapproval, infomercials, and so on), market areas or countries interestedin, and so on. Although not shown, a menu item may be displayed forindicating whether the industry station is desirous to receive automaticE-mail notification of newly posted intellectual property items in theareas or categories that the industry station is interested in.

Once the industry information is entered, a confidentiality ornondisclosure agreement is displayed, as shown at block 104. Theconfidentiality agreement is designed to protect the customer'sconfidential disclosure. Signing the agreement may be conducted onlinethrough the provision of buttons (not shown) labeled “I ACCEPT” and “IREJECT”. Alternatively, the agreement may be downloadable for printingand signing. If the industry representative refuses to sign theagreement, then the industry station may only be registered and assignedan industry PIN with the same viewing restrictions as the consumerstation.

Whether or not the industry station signs the agreement, the industryinformation is verified to insure that the industry station islegitimate, as shown at block 106. The verification process may beaccomplished by confirming that the entered telephone number is abusiness number, searching business directories, locating an Internethome page, verifying an E-mail address, receiving a scanned image of abusiness card, driver's license or business license, and/or any otherverification means. To prevent fraudulent access, the registrant may beasked to post a security such as $50 or any other amount chargeable to acredit card to pay for the cost of verification if telephone numbers orother entered data cannot be confirmed. The verification process ispreferably automatically conducted online, but may be manuallyconducted.

Once the industry station is verified, an industry PIN is assigned atblock 108. As with the consumer PIN, the industry PIN may be in the formof numbers, letters, or combinations thereof, and is a unique identifierof the registered industry representative or industry station.Preferably, a portion of the PIN identifies the user as a registeredindustry station with a signed confidentiality agreement, so thatconfidential information as well as general and released information maybe viewed, as previously discussed. Such information may include notonly details of the intellectual property, but survey results, consumercomments, and other data pertinent to the intellectual property.

Selection of the customer button 76 (FIG. 7) accesses a menu (not shown)that prompts the user to enter customer information, as represented byblock 110 (FIG. 5). The customer information menu may be similar to theconsumer menu 80 and include fields for entering customer-specificinformation such as name 36E (FIG. 3), address 36F, telephone number,and so on. Once the customer-specific information has been entered, theuser is prompted to indicate whether the intellectual property isconfidential, as shown at decision block 112. If the user hasconfidential information, a confidentiality agreement is presented tothe user for signing at block 114. Signing the agreement may beconducted online through the provision of buttons (not shown) labeled “IACCEPT” and “I REJECT”. Alternatively, the agreement may be downloadablefor printing and signing. If the customer refuses to sign the agreement,then the customer receives a warning that the entry of informationrelating to intellectual property will not be confidential. Preferably,the agreement presented for the customer's signature is substantiallysimilar to the agreement signed by the industry representative. Althoughnot shown, an engagement agreement defining the relationship between thecustomer and host station may be provided for signing by the customer.The engagement agreement may set forth the expected duties of each partyand include procedures for payment of fees, commissions, royalties, andso on. Preferably, the engagement agreement is signed by the customerprior to issuing a customer PIN.

Once the agreements have been signed by the customer, informationrelating to the intellectual property is entered, as shown at block 116.The information is preferably entered online, and may include one ormore information items as shown in FIG. 3. The customer-specificinformation and the intellectual property information may then beverified, as represented by block 118 before assigning a customer PIN atblock 120. The verification process may include confirmation oftelephone number, receipt of a scanned driver's license, social securitycard, or other identification, actual ownership of the intellectualproperty, and other information entered by the customer. Alternatively,the verification process may take place when an industry stationexpresses interest in the customer's intellectual property. As with theindustry PIN, the customer PIN may be in the form of numbers, letters,or combinations thereof, and is a unique identifier of the registeredcustomer or customer station. Preferably, a portion of the customer PINidentifies the user as a registered customer station with signedconfidentiality and engagement agreements, so that confidentialinformation as well as general and released information may be shown andviewed, as previously discussed. Such information may include not onlydetails of the intellectual property, but survey results, consumercomments, and other data pertinent to the intellectual property. Thecustomer PIN may also authorize access to the host station for verifyingthe customer account status, outstanding charges, payments, changes tosubmitted information, changes to the selected view package, and so on,that are not authorized by either the consumer PIN or the industry PIN.After the customer PIN is assigned, the customer is prompted to select apresentation package, as shown at block 122.

With additional reference to FIG. 9, an exemplary embodiment of apresentation selection menu 130 is illustrated. The menu 130 has aplurality of information item buttons 132-158 and a plurality of releasebuttons 160. One or more buttons 132-160 may be selected by the customerfor displaying information items on one or both of the view modules 26,28. By way of example, if a customer only desires to display a generaldescription of the intellectual property item on both view modules 26,28, only the button 132 is selected. If the customer desires to displaya virtual three-dimensional image on both view modules, then the button138 is selected, along with its associated release button 160. Selectionof the release button 160 together with its associated information itembutton enables the information, which may be confidential, to bedisplayed on the public view module 26. If an information item, such assurvey results 154 is selected without selection of its associatedrelease button 160, then the information item 154 is displayed only onthe private view module 28. In this manner, the selected informationitems may be displayed on one or both view modules 26, 28, based on thecustomer's preference.

It is to be noted that the button 158 relates to one or more informationitems in addition to the other information items that may be associatedwith the intellectual property item. By way of example, the button 158may be used to select one or more advertising packages at the hoststation for increasing exposure of the intellectual property item anddriving consumers and industry representatives to the specific locationof the customer's intellectual property item. Advertising services suchas Email mailings, banners, mailings, and so on, may be provided.

When a customer releases confidential information for display on thepublic view module, a warning message may also be displayed indicatingthat time limits for obtaining intellectual property rights in certaincountries will commence if the customer continues, and that certainintellectual property rights in other countries may be forfeited. Thecustomer may then be given another chance to keep the releasedinformation confidential.

Each of the information items 132-158 may be associated with a fee thataccumulates as each button is selected. A different fee may beassociated with each button.

In an alternative arrangement, the customer may select between differentpackages having predetermined information items for display on one orboth view modules 26, 28. By way of example, a “Patented” package mayinclude information such as patent issue date, time remaining, type ofpatent, claims, drawings or other graphic representation, inventionbenefits, development stage, estimated sales price, market targets, andindustry standard classification codes.

Turning again to FIG. 5, if the customer indicates at decision block 112that there is no confidential information, then the information relatingto the intellectual property is entered, as shown at block 162. Theinformation is preferably entered online, and may include one or moreinformation items such as shown in FIG. 3. Before entering theintellectual property information, the customer may receive a warningmessage that the entry of information relating to intellectual propertywill not be confidential, and that time limits will commence in certaincountries for obtaining intellectual property rights while certainrights may be forfeited in other countries. The customer may then begiven the choice to proceed with submitting the information asnon-confidential.

The customer-specific information and the intellectual propertyinformation may then be verified, as represented by block 164 beforeassigning a customer PIN at block 166. The verification process mayinclude confirmation of telephone number, actual ownership of theintellectual property, and other information entered by the customer.Alternatively, the verification process may take place when an industrystation expresses interest in the customer's intellectual property.After the customer PIN is assigned, the customer may select apresentation package at block 122, as previously discussed. Aspreviously described the customer PIN is preferably assigned after anengagement agreement is presented and signed by the customer.

When a proper PIN and name has been entered at block 56, the hoststation determines whether the PIN is a consumer PIN at decision block170. If a consumer PIN has been entered, the search menu 35 (FIG. 4) maybe accessed by the consumer station. Since some consumers do not haveready access to SIC and NAICS code definitions, as well as patentclassification definitions, these search categories may not be displayedfor selection by the consumer. Although not shown, a search categoryrelating to intellectual property items with surveys may be part of thesearch menu 35. In this manner, the consumer may choose to search onlyfor intellectual property items with surveys.

After the search term(s) and/or other search categories are entered andone or more suitable matches are found, as shown at block 172, thesearch results are displayed and may be accessed by the consumerstation, as shown at block 174. The information available for display ofselected intellectual property items at the consumer station includesgeneral descriptive information that does not breach confidentiality, aswell as non-confidential information and previously releasedconfidential information, as discussed above.

If the survey button 152 (FIG. 9) was previously selected by thecustomer for the intellectual property item, then the consumer is giventhe option to complete the survey, as shown at decision block 176. Ifthe consumer chooses not to complete the survey for the selectedintellectual property item, then the consumer may access the previoussearch results, conduct a new search, or end the session. If theconsumer chooses to complete the survey, then the online survey form isfilled out, as shown at block 178. When more than one consumer completesthe survey for the intellectual property item, the results can betabulated and displayed on the public and/or private view modules,depending on the customer's previous selection.

As a precautionary measure, the consumer PIN and/or name may beassociated with the survey results and compared to a newly selectedsurvey to determine if the consumer had previously completed the surveyfor the same intellectual property item. In this manner, only one surveyper available intellectual property item can be filled out by eachconsumer. Since some customers may desire to enhance the survey resultsthrough multiple voting on the customer's own intellectual propertyitem, this measure ensures that the tabulated survey results remainunskewed. In a preferred arrangement, an upper limit to the number ofsurveys for a given intellectual property item can be preset by the hoststation or preselected by the customer. For example, one customer maydesire to pay for only 250 survey results, while another customer maydesire to pay for more or less results.

Once the survey is completed, the consumer may be credited withcurrency, coupons, discounts, products, services, or any otherincentives for filling out the survey, as shown at block 180. An accountmay be set up at the host station for each consumer, for recording thecredit. Alternatively, an account at a consumer's financial institutionmay receive the credit. The consumer may then access the previous searchresults, conduct a new search, or end the session. With thisarrangement, a consumer is encouraged and rewarded for participating inmultiple surveys independent of the consumer's opinion.

With additional reference to FIG. 5A, if it is determined at decisionblock 170 (FIG. 5) that the PIN is not a consumer PIN, then the hoststation determines at block 182 whether the PIN is an industry PIN or acustomer PIN. If the PIN is a customer PIN, then the customer is givenaccess to all available information associated with the customer and thecustomer's intellectual property item(s), as shown at block 184, forviewing survey results, updating the description, drawings, photos,images, legal status, product status, and so on, paying accountbalances, requesting further services for developing or marketing theintellectual property item(s), changing information displayed on thepublic and private view modules, and any other action related to theintellectual property item.

If the PIN is an industry PIN, then a search may be conducted at block186, preferably with the search menu 35 (FIG. 4) and search categories36D-36D6. After the search categories and/or search term(s) are enteredand one or more suitable matches are found, the search results aredisplayed and may be accessed by the industry station, as shown at block188. The information available for display of selected intellectualproperty items at the industry station may include general descriptiveinformation that does not breach confidentiality, as well asnonconfidential information, previously released confidentialinformation, and confidential information. The confidential information,including survey results, can only be accessed by industry stations thathave submitted a signed confidentiality agreement, as discussed above.

Although not shown, the survey may be filled out once for eachintellectual property item by the industry and consumer stations since,in a preferred embodiment, these stations also have access to the publicaccess module 20. Feedback from industry stations is especiallyimportant for trade or industrial products that are not normallyavailable to the consumer.

Once the intellectual property item is accessed by the industry station,it is determined at decision block 190 whether there is any interest inobtaining rights to the intellectual property item, granting loans,manufacturing, selling, or any other arrangement associated with theintellectual property item. If there is no interest, the industryrepresentative may access the previous search results, conduct a newsearch, or end the session. If there is interest in the intellectualproperty item, an agreement between the customer station and industrystation is negotiated at block 194, and the transaction is completed atblock 196, including any commissions payable to the host station. Theagreement and transaction can both be completed online or throughtelephone conferencing, personal interviews, and so on. According to anexemplary embodiment of the invention, proposed bids may be displayed atthe host station for the intellectual property item(s) of interest for apredetermined time period, or until the negotiations are completed.

While the invention has been taught with specific reference to theabove-described embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognizethat changes can be made in form and detail without departing from thespirit and the scope of the invention. Thus, the described embodimentsare to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and notrestrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by theappended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changesthat come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims areto be embraced within their scope.

1. A computer implemented system promoting inventions over the Internetcommunications network, the system comprising: a host computer stationconstituting an Internet domain site connected to said communicationsnetwork and having a database with stored descriptions of respectiveinventions and their characteristic features; a publicly accessibleinterface in communication with the host computer station and incommunication with a first set of computer stations via thecommunications network; a computer program module at said host computerstation selecting at least one of said inventions by reference to thestored invention descriptions and characteristic features for viewingsaid first set of computer stations and thereafter receiving feedbackdata relating to a consumer desirability of the selected inventions,wherein said computer program module includes a survey module elicitingsaid feedback data from multiple users of the first set of computerstations; a computer program module receiving said consolidatedresponses at said host computer station to provide an informationsummary of the consumer desirability of the respective selectedinventions; an interface in communication with the host computer stationand in communication with a second set of computer stations via thecommunications network, wherein said information summary is transferredto users of said second set of computer stations.
 2. The computerimplemented system of claim 1, wherein said first set of computerstations and said second set of computer stations are not the same. 3.The computer implemented system according to claim 2, wherein said atleast one database further includes at least one confidentialinformation description of said inventions, respectively.
 4. Thecomputer implemented system according to claim 3, including: a thirdcomputer program module operable to provide said one confidentialinformation description to be viewable only by the second set ofcomputer stations.
 5. A computer implemented system promoting inventionsover the Internet communications network, the system comprising: a hostcomputer station constituting an Internet domain site connected to theInternet communications network, the host computer station beingassociated with at least one database having a plurality of storedinvention descriptions, the host computer station being operable to:receive search information from a consumer computer station; determineat least one invention description of the plurality of stored inventiondescriptions that corresponds to the received search information;communicate a survey corresponding to the at least one inventiondescription to the consumer computer station; receive a response to thesurvey from said consumer computer station and consolidate the responsewith at least one other survey response into an information summary; andmake the information summary available over the Internet communicationsnetwork.